And, although its newer versions work on 64-bit systems only, you can give a shot to Bodhi Linux Legacy if you want a Linux distro for your 32-bit computer.īodhi Linux also happens to offer the true Linux experience since this distro is based on Ubuntu LTS. Now in this day and age, even decade-old computers would have these needed specifications. Its minimum hardware requirements are sure to amaze you since the OS only requires a 500 MHz processor, 256 MB memory, and 5 GB storage space to run properly. Bodhi Linux Bodhi Linuxīodhi Linux is another popular operating system to make our list of lightweight Linux distros. However, with such minimal system requirements, what else could you expect?ĭownload Puppy Linux 2. The only complaint you can have with this distro is the lack of a modern user interface. However, you should note that the distro doesn’t come with many pre-installed applications as you’d expect from a lightweight OS. Moreover, it’s so user-friendly that even users who are just getting started with Linux won’t take much time getting the hang of it. One thing to note about this operating system is that it is based on packages from distributions such as Slackware and Ubuntu. So, even if you happen to own a potato PC, the chances are that it will still be able to work with Puppy Linux. With that being said, the best thing about this distro is that its older versions can even run on 32-bit systems. And, as for memory, this operating system only requires 256 MB of RAM.Īpart from that, this distro is only 300 MB in size, so you can rest assured that it won’t go too hard on your hard disk. When it comes to the processor, you’ll need one with 600 MHz of processing speed. Puppy Linux Puppy Linux DesktopĪt the top of our list, we have none other than Puppy Linux, which is sure to be a sigh of relief for your system resources. The truth be told, a significant percentage of these Linux distributions might not be up to the mark when it comes to their features, security, speed, and the overall Linux experience.Īccordingly, we thought to give you guys and gals a favor and come up with this comprehensive list where you’ll only find the lightweight Linux-based distros that rarely fail to deliver. When you do a Google search for the best lightweight Linux distros, you are sure to come across a variety of such operating systems.